Abstract:

Hepatitis E virus (HEV) infections occur chiefly as a result of poor hygienic conditions. The virus is responsible for major outbreaks of acute hepatitis in developing countries. The objective of this study was to detect HEV antibodies among food handlers working in Khartoum Locality. This study was conducted during the period from January to May, 2015.
A total of 90 blood samples were obtained from food handlers (67 Sudanese and 23 Ethiopian; 87 males and 3 females). The samples were collected by venipuncture. Serum was obtained from each sample by centrifugation at 3000 rpm for 5 min. Socio-economic data were collected using interviewing questionnaire. Hepatitis E Virus was detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).
The results revealed that 10 (11.1%) were positive of HEV, 1 (1.1%) borderline and 79 (87.8%) negative. There were no significant differences in HEV seropositivity between the subjects regarding gender (P = 0.8), age (P = 0.47) and nationality (P = 0.40) (Sudanese vs. Ethiopian), P. values ≤ 0.05.
The study concluded that HEV circulate at low but considerable levels especially among food handlers; that may be a source of outbreak. Adoption of molecular methods to confirm HEV positive among food handlers is highly recommended. Further nationwide study is required to validate the results of the present study.